WICHITA, Kan. - No. 9 Wichita State opens American Athletic Conference Championship play on Monday with first round action vs. No. 8 Tulsa at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+

ON THE AIR
Monday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

THE AMERICAN ON ESPN+ 
The American Athletic Conference is in its first season of a new TV deal that will see a majority of Wichita State's games televised on ESPN+. Fans can find more information and how to subscribe to ESPN+ here.

A CASE OF THE 'RONA
COVID-19 has wrecked havoc on the 2020-21 Wichita State women's basketball program. To date, the Shockers have had eight games postponed due to positive tests within the program. The Shockers are coming off a pause in all team-related activities due to a lack of players available that saw games against ECU, Memphis and USF all postponed. As of now, Wichita State's two matchups vs. SMU are the only contests that will not be made up, due to the Mustangs canceling the remainder of their season.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State snapped a five-game losing streak with an overtime win at Tulsa last Tuesday, 85-77. Wichita State outscored Tulsa 16-8 in the overtime session and shot a season-high 56.4 percent from the field. The starting five combined for 81 of the team's 85 points. DJ McCarty scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Carla Bremaud tied her career high with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Seraphine Bastin collected her fourth double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and also dishing out eight assists. Trajata Colbert added her second double-double with 14 points and 13 boards. Asia Strong made it 11 straight games in double digits with 14.

STRONG START
Wichita State junior forward Asia Strong is off to fast start in her first season at Wichita State. The South Bend, Ind., native has scored 10 or more points in 15 of the team's 16 games, including three games of 20 or more. In Wichita State's 11 league games, she has scored 11 or more in every game and is averaging 15.4 points. Strong set a season high in points and rebounds vs. UNI on Dec. 6 with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Strong leads Wichita State in scoring at 15.4 points per game for the season, which ranks fourth in the American Athletic Conference. Her 43.8% shooting also ranks fifth in the league.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa enters the matchup at 5-13 overall and 4-13 in league play, having lost seven straight games. The Mayberry sisters team up to lead the Golden Hurricane. Junior Maya Mayberry averages a team-high 14.3 points, while her younger sister, freshman Wyvette, scores 12.3 a contest to go with a team-leading 53 assists. The pair is scoring 46.5 percent (467 of 1,004) of Tulsa's total points. Maya Mayberry leads the American Athletic Conference in three-pointers made, three-point field goals per game and three-point percentage. Her 40.0 percent shooting from deep ranks 48th nationally.

THE SERIES VS. TULSA
Wichita State and Tulsa have met 24 times, dating all the way back to the first meeting on March 2, 1978. The Shockers own a 20-4 record vs. Tulsa.

LAST MEETING
Wichita State and Tulsa met in the regular season finale on Tuesday in Tulsa. The Shockers came out with an overtime 85-77 win. DJ McCarty led five Shockers in double figures with a career-high 20 points. Carla Bremaud tied a career high with 18 points on 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Seraphine Bastin (15p, 10r, 8a) and Trajata Colbert (14p, 13r) added double-doubles and Asia Strong finished with 14 points. Wichita State shot a season-high 56.4 percent from the field and outrebounded Tulsa by 14. Tulsa only committed six turnovers in the game compared to 20 for Wichita State.

DYNAMIC POINT GUARD
Wichita State's point guard Seraphine Bastin has started the season on a mission. Bastin is averaging 10.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals a game, while shooting 79.3 percent from the free throw line. The 5-foot-8 guard leads the team in rebounding, assists, steals and double-doubles. In two games at Houston and vs. Cincinnati, Bastin racked up double-doubles of 18 points and 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She missed a triple-double vs. Cincy by two points and another at Tulsa by two assists. In The American, Bastin ranks second in assist-turnover ratio (1.85),  fourth in assists (79), third in  assists per game (4.9) and fifth in rebounds per game (7.5).

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 6-11 on the season
... make them 2-3 all-time at the American Championship
... make them 21-4 all-time vs. Tulsa
... be their fourth straight win in the series
... run Adams' career coaching record to 459-307
... make Adams 332-270 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 618-709 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 5-12 this the season
... make them 1-4 all-time at the American Championship
... drop them to 20-5 all-time vs. Tulsa
... snap a four-game win streak vs. Tulsa
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 458-308
... make Adams 331-271 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 617-710 all-time

POTENT TRIO FORMING      
Prior to Mariah McCully missing the regular season finale at Tulsa, a three-headed scoring attack had emerged for the Shockers in the three previous games. McCully, Asia Strong and DJ McCarty combined to score 128 of the team's 187 points (68.4 percent). Strong is averaging 17.7 points, while McCully and McCarty are posting 12.7 and 12.3 points, respectively. In McCully's absence, McCarty scored a career-high 20 points and Strong added 14.